| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Greg Kinnear | ... | ||
| Jordan Carlos | ... |
Young Husband
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| Dequina Moore | ... |
Young Wife
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Joseph Badalucco Jr. | ... |
Accident Bystander
(as Joe Badalucco)
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| Brian Hutchison | ... |
Accident Bystander
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Tyree Michael Simpson | ... |
Sneezy Cop
(as Tyre Simpson)
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| Julia Murney | ... |
Sneezy Lady
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| Ricky Gervais | ... | ||
| Claire Lautier | ... |
Upper East Side Lady
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| Aasif Mandvi | ... | ||
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Bridget Moloney | ... | |
| Raymond J. Lee | ... |
Greenpeace Guy
(as Raymond Lee)
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Joey Mazzarino | ... |
Food Delivery Guy
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Brad Oscar | ... | |
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Kathleen Landis | ... |
Resident
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Bertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen. That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited result. Written by Studio Approved Synopsis
While this movie is comedy, it's not really a major "laugh-fest" or anything - but it is very well done and interesting to watch. If you're a fan of Ricky Gervais, he's only an actor here, not the writer or producer - so don't expect lots of Gervais-inspired humor. However, do expect a clever and charming romantic comedy.
Basically, the movie is about a dentist (Gervais) who temporarily dies during a routine medical procedure. This experience gives him the ability to see all the dead people who are milling about. One of them is resourceful enough to get Gervais' character to interfere with his former wife's engagement ... and the story progresses from there.
Gervais puts in a great performance as the socially repugnant dentist. Unpleasant as he is, he's fun to watch and you want to see what his every next move will be. Greg Kinnear (who plays the ghost pressuring Gervais) does a good job too; he's pretty believable in his role. The other characters are more or less one-dimensional and not quite as interesting. However, together with Gervais and Kinnear, everyone more or less of shines.
While the story is a bit predictable, the interesting characters, charming nature of the tale and all-around quality of movie-making make this film worth a watch.